Canceled:
18th annual GospelFest

Reason for cancellation:
Cancelled due to expected thunderstorms during stage set-up

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Now in its 18th year, this gospel festival blends contemporary and traditional gospel melodies. GospelFest showcases national and local gospel talent.

For the third year in a row, the Mayor’s Community Gospel Choir will open the concert and wow with their vocals. This special group is organized by the Mayor’s Office’s own Edna Wilkie. Then, Phil Thompson and Tamar will perform. Finally, Jonathan McReynolds will headline the concert.

About the headliner

What was born in his dorm room in the presence of a few friends has graduated to Christian music’s biggest stage picking up fans like Stevie Wonder, Lalah Hathaway, Kirk Franklin, Cece Winans, Nicki Minaj, and Tori Kelly along the way. And Jonathan, now 28, did it with an incredible voice and a beautifully honest approach to songwriting. His latest full-length album Make Room debuted #1 on Billboard Gospel and garnered a historic 1.3 million streams in the first week. It has already been hailed as his best work, the best album of 2018, and an instant Grammy favorite. His second album Life Music: Stage Two features another superstar fan in India.Arie and remained #1 on the Billboard Gospel chart for 4 weeks. It then went on to grab a Grammy nomination, multiple Stellar nominations and a Dove Award win. Jonathan earned his Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies from Moody Theological Seminary in 2015.

His contribution to society outside of music is important to him as well. With that, he is an adjunct instructor at his alma mater Columbia College, an official contributor to Huffington Post and the founder of Elihu Nation, a nonprofit organization that promotes wisdom and recently awarded $9k in scholarships. His appeal stretches across generational, cultural, and musical lines. It is shown in the buzzworthy performances that have marked his last four years including BET Celebration of Gospel with India. Arie, Essence Fest, 106 & Park, Stellar Awards, Joyful Noise, Revolt TV Live, and the Dove Awards. In addition to headlining monster shows as far as Oslo, London, and Port-of-Spain, Jonathan has toured with India Arie and Lalah Hathaway. Last May, Jonathan recorded his first live album "Make Room" to be released early 2018. It will feature his single "Not Lucky, I'm Loved" which, in October 2017, was his first Billboard #1 single. Last May, Jonathan recorded his first live album "Make Room."